1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling recordings. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling recordings in accordance with the remainder of a recording medium, in which the recording state is adjusted in accordance with the recordable remainder of the recording medium so that a maximum number of the intended images can be recorded in the limited remainder of the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, recording controlling apparatuses such as a video cassette tape recorder (VCR) and the like have been widely used for appraising movies or video articles. Such a recording controlling apparatus reproduces still pictures or moving pictures from a recording medium to output them to a screen. Such an apparatus can also record the pictures onto the recording medium.
Such a recording medium usually consists of a magnetic tape, and is classified into the following types: 60-minute, 90-minute and 120-minute. Usually, recording is carried out in a "standard recording" mode.
However, if the remainder of the recording medium is insufficient to record the entire recording, the apparatus is shifted to a "SLP mode" or a "LP mode", so that the images can be recorded in a compressed manner, or compress-recorded. Thus, a large number of images can be recorded in spite of the shortage of the recording medium.
FIG. 1 illustrates the above described conventional recording controlling apparatus. Roughly, the conventional recording controlling apparatus includes a signal processing section 10 and a recording section 20.
The signal processing section 10 includes: a band pass filter 11 for detecting carrier chroma signals from incoming video signals; an automatic chroma gain controller (ACC) 12 for controlling the carrier chroma signals detected by the band pass filter 11, to have a certain amplitude; and a balanced modulator 13 for carrying out balanced modulation on the amplitude-controlled carrier chroma signals of the ACC 12. The signal processing section 10 also includes: a low pass filter 14 for detecting brightness signals from the incoming video signals; an automatic gain controller (AGC) 15 for controlling the detected brightness signals of the low pass filter 14 to have a certain amplitude; a frequency modulator 16 for modulating the frequency of the amplitude-controlled brightness signals of the AGC 15; and an adder 17 for mixing together the brightness signals of the frequency modulator 16, the carrier chroma signals of the balanced modulator 13 and separately input audio signals, so as to output recording signals.
The recording section 20 includes: a recording switch 21 for supplying the recording signals output from the signal processing section 10; a recording output device 22 for generating electric currents in a coil 23 in accordance with the recording signals supplied by the recording switch 21; and a recording head 24 for recording data on a recording medium 30 by generating magnetic fields in cooperation with the coil 23.
The recording controlling apparatus further includes: a key input section 40 for inputting a recording starting time and a consumption time period; a remainder detecting section 50 for detecting the remainder of the recording medium 30; a driving section 70 for driving or stopping the recording medium 30, and for adjusting the recording speed; and a microcomputer 60 for controlling the operations of the recording section 20 and the recording medium driving section 70 in accordance with the output signals of the key input section 40 and the remainder detecting section 50.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart for recording images onto a recording medium by using the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrate the recording state of data recorded in accordance with the remainder of the recording medium based on the conventional method.
In the conventional recording controlling apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, if video signals are input into the signal processing section 10, those signals pass through the band pass filter 11 and the low pass filter 14 and are detected by being separated into carrier chroma signals and brightness signals.
If the brightness signals detected by the low pass filter 14 have a value greater than a regulated value, the AGC decreases the value of the signals. On the other hand, if the brightness signals detected by the low pass filter 14 have a value less than the regulated value, the AGC increases the value. Thus, the brightness signals are controlled to a certain amplitude. The signals are then supplied to the frequency modulator 16, and thus, the brightness signals are frequency-modulated.
Meanwhile, the carrier chroma signals detected by the band pass filter 11 are supplied to the ACC 12 so they can be controlled to a certain amplitude. Then the signals undergo a balanced modulation through the balanced modulator 13.
Thereafter, the brightness signals, the carrier chroma signals and the audio signals are added together by the adder 17. Thus, those added signals are output as recording signals.
The recording signals are supplied through the recording switch 21 to the recording output device 22 so as to be converted into electric currents. These electric currents flow through the coil 23 which is wound on the head 24. Thus owing to the electric currents flowing through the coil 23, the head 24 generates magnetic fields so that the video signals are recorded onto the recording medium 30.
In this conventional recording controlling apparatus, the recording method is controlled in accordance with the remainder of the recording medium, or recordable remainder, that can be recorded on, as shown in FIG. 2.
That is, when a recording starting time and an expected consumption time period are input through the key input section 40 (101), the microcomputer 60 compares the expected consumption time period with the result detected by the remainder detecting section 50, to detect the recordable remainder of the recording medium (102).
Thereafter, a judgment is made as to whether the total number of images can be recorded at the standard speed within the limits of the remainder of the recording medium 30 (103). If it is possible, then the microcomputer 60 drives the recording medium 30 according to a "standard recording" mode by driving the driving section 70.
On the other hand, if it is impossible to record in "standard recording" mode the total number of images within the limits of the remainder of the recording medium 30, and if it is possible to record the total number of images by employing a combination of "standard recording" and "long play recording" (105), then "standard+long play recording" is carried out (106). Otherwise, "long play recording" is carried out (107).
The procedure of "standard+long play recording" will be described in detail referring to FIG. 3. For example, it will be assumed that the expected consumption time is 50 minutes, and that a 30-minute portion is the remainder of the recording medium 30. In this case, a standard recording operation is carried out for the first 20 minutes, and then a long play recording operation is carried out for the last 10 minutes. During the long play recording, the images are recorded in a compressed state, thereby solving the problem of having an insufficient remainder of the recording medium 30 to complete recording the images.
However, in this conventional recording controlling apparatus, if the remainder of the recording medium is very insufficient compared with the expected consumption time period, then the total number of images cannot be completely recorded even if a long play recording operation is employed for the entire remainder of the recording medium.